Just the Girl
by zchynard01
Summary: Cold and Empty Hermione in Slytherin. But Harry had the chance to see the real her before. Will he ever see the warm, little girl he met on their first day in Hogwarts again? Read and review. CONTINUED
1. What the hell?

Author's Note: Hey, guys! missed me? i forgot my log in info for my previous account. I'm not saying that's the only reason why I've been gone for more than a year but it's also a reason. I don't like unfinished stories so I'll continue this one. I'll be uploading the other three chapters plus the new chapter in a few hours if anyone is still interested. For my other stories, you could search for zchynard. So once again, here's the first chapter.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

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**JUST THE GIRL**

_What the Hell?_

I heard the cold and heartless laugh that haunted me at night.

I turned around a corner on my way to the great hall and saw her pointing her wand to a third year Slytherin who seemed to have been jinx with jelly-legs.

"What are you doing?" I asked her sternly.

"Oooh. Potter." She said sarcastically. "You know what? I think it's none of your business so bugger off."

"You're a prefect just as I am. Stop it right this moment, Granger." I raised my wand and performed the counter spell.

The kid might have been a Slytherin and a bully but he is still a kid and he was on the verge of crying. As a prefect, I can't let Granger's light torture continue. He ran as fast as he can away from us as soon as the jinx was removed.

I saw her moved towards me. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I felt the deadly stare she was giving me. She stopped mere inches away from me and despite the fact that I'm taller and bigger than her, she still somehow intimidated me. I felt her wand poking my ribs sharply.

"Watch it, Potter. The next time you mess up with me and what I'm doing, I'll make sure that you'll regret it for the rest of your life which wouldn't be that long." I stared at her brown orbs and saw the usual emptiness with just a small glint of anger.

No matter how angry she is, her eyes don't show it. Her eyes can't show any emotion of hers if she even has one. She's like a dead and empty shell.

"Aguamenti." The next thing I knew was that she was showering me with water and I got soaked in no time. It shocked me that I wasn't able to react fast. She also whispered something but my ears didn't catch it.

"Take heed of my warning, Potter. I'm not one to give empty threats." She walked away and I could only stare at her retreating figure.

I wonder how a beautiful woman like her could be so cold and cruel.

I remember the first day I saw her outside the great hall when we were waiting for Professor McGonagall to let us in and let us be sorted to our houses.

"_Hello. I'm Harry. What's your name?" I asked trying to be friendly with the bushy, brown haired girl standing beside me._

_She turned to face me completely. I felt my heart beat faster. Wow. She's cute. She smiled at me with a warm smile._

"_I'm Hermione Granger." As warm as her smile was, I can't believe how emotionless she sounded. Still, I smiled back._

"_Nice to meet you, Hermione."_

"_Nice to meet you too, Harry."She smiled again and I saw a glint of happiness passed through her eyes._

That was the last time I saw her warm smile or that her eyes shone.

Malfoy distracted me and McGonagall arrived and told us to go inside. I had hoped then that we would be sorted in the same house. I wanted to know more about her. I wanted to know why she sounded so cold or why her eyes were empty of emotion. She got sorted in Slytherin and I somehow knew that it would be hard to achieve what I want.

I saw her sat down beside Malfoy that time and like a real Slytherin, she had that boastful smirk on her face most of the time. I didn't really like it.

Since then, there was no hope for us to continue the forming friendship between us. She started hanging around with Malfoy and his cronies and she was even part of bullying other students. She drifted deeper and deeper to their side and the time came when we had to fight each other. It wasn't a physical fight. I didn't want to hurt her or anything. It was verbal and emotional. Being the brightest witch of our age, she was able to hurt me more than I could ever hurt her. If I'll even try to hurt and if she will even be able to feel anything.

She's like a robot. She associated, laugh that cold laugh, study, and everything that a normal person usually does and yet, there was no life in whatever she did. She remained to be an empty shell. But deep inside me, I have this feeling that the little girl with a warm smile that I met five years ago is just hiding in the deepest part of herself. I want to see that girl again.

I realized that I was standing in the middle of the corridor for some time already, and that I'm about to miss dinner. I tried to dry myself off using the drying spell but it didn't worked. Hell! That was what she was whispering earlier! She made sure I won't be able to dry myself with magic. Hmmp!

"Damn you, Granger." I said as I walked towards the direction of the Gryffindor tower knowing that I won't be able to have dinner. Thanks a lot to her. Damn.

-serpent-serpent-serpent-

I woke up earlier than usual and went down to the great hall to eat breakfast. My stomach was grumbling already because I did miss my dinner last night. I sighed remembering the events last night.

As I entered the great hall, my eyes automatically scanned the Slytherin table and saw her slowly eating her food. She raised her eyes and met mine. There was only emptiness and she went back to eating her food. I went to my own seat to get some food down to my stomach and decided to think about her later.

I was already on my third helpings when the door opened loudly. Pansy Parkinson entered the great hall and I rolled my eyes. What's with the entrance? I shrugged it off and decided to mind my food again but she suddenly shouted.

"Granger!" The Slytherin witch yelled. She stormed off towards Hermione who only raised her brows and looked at Malfoy who was sitting beside her. When did he get there? My brows furrowed.

"What the hell are you doing?" She pounded her fist on the table.

"Pansy, what's the meaning of this?" Malfoy drawled.

I looked around the great hall and saw that there weren't any staff member at the moment and there are only few students. Like me, they were all watching the scene.

"Shut up, Draco. You know as well as I do what I'm talking about!" Parkinson snapped at Malfoy.

"You're attacking your own housemate!" She hissed. I leaned forward to get a better view.

I'm pretty sure that she was talking about that third year Slytherin from last night.

"What's that, Parkinson?" Hermione asked emotionless and I'm sure she would have sounded innocent if she has that missing emotion for the past five years.

"You attacked a Slytherin! And for what? Because he was playing pranks on a mudblood? What are you? A mudblood lover? Supporter? Savior?" Parkinson shouted.

I saw students cringed when she kept on saying 'mudblood'.

"That boy was acting as if he could do anything he wants. I only wanted to show him whom he should fear. And besides, I didn't harm him that much." Hermione said nonchalantly.

"I think she did the right thing, Pansy, so calm down." Malfoy told Parkinson but once again she snapped at him.

"Stop siding with her, Draco! She's only using you for goodness' sake!" I saw Malfoy's eyes narrowed and my curiosity rose higher than ever.

"Admit it, Draco. She used you." She said pointing her finger at Hermione. "She used your status to gain respect and make her own name. And now that she's feared, she doesn't need you anymore." Parkinson stated viciously.

"I lost my appetite." Hermione stood up and tried to walk away but Parkinson held her wrist.

Hermione looked at the other girl's hand holding her wrist with a more blank expression if that was even possible and Parkinson let go of her as if she was burned.

"I'm right, aren't I, Granger?" Parkinson drawled.

"You are." She said and started walking away.

I watched Malfoy's face turned red with anger and he stood up to follow her. I didn't like the way he looked so I stood up to follow them too. I saw Malfoy on the right corridor turning around the corner. I sprinted to follow him. I slowed down as I heard their voices.

"What's wrong with you, Hermione? You're not like that before." Malfoy hissed.

"Don't you get it, Draco? I used you just like what Pansy said." I heard her say with that cold tone.

I walked nearer and nearer noiselessly and leaned on the wall and peek to see them. I saw Malfoy holding her wrist on the middle of the corridor.

"What did you say?" I saw his hand tightening on her wrist but she didn't look like she got hurt.

"I used you."

"Damn you, Hermione. I'm tired of sticking up with this attitude of yours. I've reached my limit. I've been trying to get you for a year already and now you're telling me that you used me! You'll pay for this!" I saw Malfoy pushed her to the wall and kissed her hard.

I felt anger consume me and I took my wand out and stupefied him. It seems that it wasn't only me. Malfoy flew a few feet backwards and hit the wall. Hermione also casted a spell on him the same time I did.

She looked at me but ignored me as he went near Malfoy. She bent and raised his head with her hand in a not so gentle way. He looked at her with fear.

"Keep your hands off me, Malfoy. I hate being forced and you should know that by now. You'll suffer more than this if you try to pull another stunt, Malfoy, so be careful." She threatened and she let his head fall.

She looked at me once more before walking towards me and passing me without a word.

What the hell?

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A/N: Bear with me. ^_^


	2. I think I'm

A/N: Wow. Still got some reviews. Thank you. Reviewers please read author's note at the end. thank you. read and enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

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**Just the Girl**

_I think I'm..._**  
**

The bell rang ending Transfiguration. She walked past me and I can't help but follow her with my gaze.

"Hey, mate." Ron said to me. I turned to look at him. He was still fixing his things.

"I heard about the scene in the great hall earlier. That Granger, she's freaky." Ron said not looking at me.

I was glad he wasn't because if he did, he would have seen the deadly look I gave him.

"What?" I asked walking away knowing that he was following. I tried to sound uncaring.

"Even if there weren't much people at the hall, I'm sure she would have known that the whole school will still know about that scene." He said.

"What's the connection of that to being freaky?" I asked. He's not making sense.

"She told the whole school that she used Malfoy. That's fine with me, serves the git right but I think she's too full of herself. Who does she think she is? She might be smart but to be so blunt and proud of the evil thing she does, that's just so irritating." He said annoyed.

I was more annoyed at him, really. He doesn't know her. How can he judge her? I realized that I don't know her too and yet, I was protecting her and getting angry at my best friend because of her.

I sighed.

"What's the problem?" Ron asked and I just shook my head and Ron shrugged.

Ginny stormed in the great hall at lunch and sat beside me with a huff.

"That girl definitely gets on my nerve." Ginny said putting rice and chicken on her plate.

"Who?" I asked. I wonder who was the lucky girl that got under Ginny's skin and going to be facing hell soon. The youngest Weasley was known for her temper and her bat-boogey hex.

"Granger." She huffed. "Who does she think she is?"

"What happened?" I worried. What did Hermione do?

"She bumped me in the hallway and she just looked at me. She didn't even apologize! I swear I'd get back to her. I swear I will!" Ginny was murdering her piece of chicken and a lot of students were looking at us.

"Calm down, Gin. Don't let her get to you. She's probably crazy just like Bellatrix Lestrange so don't mind her." Ron said and grabbed a hotdog.

When he was about to bite the hotdog, it turned to a snake.

"Aaaarrgghh!" Ron yelled throwing the snake at the table and jumping backwards making him fall on his butt.

I readied my wand to kill the snake but it landed as a hotdog as if it didn't became a snake. I'm sure it did but I don't know what was happening.

We heard that laughter and we all saw Hermione walking past Ron. She did this but why?

Ginny stood up beside me and took out her wand and pointed it at Hermione.

"What's the matter, Weasley? Is there something wrong?" Hermione said.

"You bitch! Stupefy!" Ginny yelled.

Hermione was fast to react and was able to cast a protego before the spell hit her.

"Petrificus Totalus." Hermione fired at Ginny and I caught Ginny falling, petrified.

Hermione walked towards us and looked Ginny in the eye. "If you have a problem with me, Weasley, and you want to fight, it's not a problem with me. Just that, let's make it a nice match. Not here, not now. Talk to me whenever you want and set the time and place and I'll be there."

She walked out of the great hall leaving all of us stunned. I was the first to recover and revived Ginny.

"I'll show her. I'll show her. I'll show her." Ginny kept on murmuring as she too went out of the great hall.

This is just bloody brilliant. What's happening? Things weren't like this before. It wasn't nice between her and us but it certainly wasn't this bad.

-serpent-serpent-serpent-

Ginny had not approached Hermione yet. She was training herself and I even helped her sometimes. Hermione, on the other hand, was as calm as she always is but since that scene on the great hall, she started eating alone sitting at the end of the Slytherin table. No one ever dared to sit beside her.

As a sixth year prefect, I still have to do my rounds. It's a waste of time really. Perhaps if she was doing her rounds at the same time I am, everything will be more interesting. I walked and walked not really paying attention to things so it really shocked me when a student was sent flying backwards in front of me.

I rushed to see what was happening and when I looked at my left, I saw Hermione dueling two more seventh year Slytherin boys. I rushed to her aid and stupefied one of her opponents. The other one lost focused so he was easily hit by Hermione. The three boys lay on the floor unconscious.

I looked at Hermione and saw her looking at me but something caught my eye. I ran to her and held up her arm. I saw her flinch a little.

"You're wounded and bleeding." I whispered. Blood kept on trickling down to the floor.

"Let go of me." She said.

"No. I'll take you to the hospital wing." I held her other arm and tried to drag her with me.

"I said let go of me. I'm a witch. I can heal myself." She snatched back her arm forcefully and pointed her wand at her bleeding wound.

She did heal herself but there was a very visible scar left.

"Do you have dittany on your room?" I asked her softly.

"No."

"It would leave a scar if you don't put dittany on them soon."

"I know. And I don't care." She walked away but I stopped her.

"Granger." I called her.

"What is it, Potter? You're gonna tell on me? Do it. I don't care." She turned her back on me once again but I held her arm.

"Don't touch me." She stared me in the eyes probably trying to scare me off.

"What happened?" I asked wanting to know what was going on.

"None of your business." She spat.

"Stop being so stubborn!" I hissed. I didn't let go of her arm but instead dragged her to the way to the kitchen.

"I'll curse you if you don't let me go this instant, Potter." She threatened me.

"I don't care. We have to get dittany." I said.

I felt her stiffen and follow me. She didn't fight anymore. Curiously, I looked at her. She was staring at me with a very blank expression.

"Why do you care if it leaves me a scar?" she asked.

"It won't look good on you." She laughed loudly. A cold laugh of course.

"As if I could look any worse, Potter. I know what everyone thinks about me. I know that they think of me as the worst person here in Hogwarts, even worse than Malfoy."

I sighed. Not everyone. Not me. We arrived in front of the portrait with a bowl of fruits and I tickled the pear and it opened for us. I led us in.

House elves ran to us offering a lot of food and I looked at Hermione, she was looking at them with a blank expression.

"Dobby." I called and the house elf appeared beside me.

"Yes. Harry Potter, sir. Dobby is here." Dobby bowed down. I knelt in front of Dobby so I could be of eye level with him.

"Dobby, will you get me some dittany at the hospital wing please?" I asked him and the elf nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course, Harry Potter, sir. Anything for Harry Potter, sir." Dobby bowed down once again and disapparated.

I led Hermione to a table and let her sit down. I sat down beside her.

"Do you want some food?" I asked and she looked at me.

"No. Aren't you going to tell Dumbledore about what you saw?" she asked.

"Not if you'll tell me what exactly happened." I offered her an apple.

She sighed and took it.

"It looks like Parkinson got some seventh year students on her side. I was doing my patrol when they appeared. We had a little chat before we dueled but that was it. Happy?" she said emotionlessly and I sighed and nodded.

"Is this the first time this happened?" I asked softly.

"Not really." To say that I was having conversation with her shocked me was an understatement.

I looked at her and she looked so tired. I guess even a strong witch like her gets tired too and this is her breaking point.

"Do you think I could spend the rest of the night here?" She asked.

"What? Why?"

"I'm not really up for whatever Parkinson has prepared for me when I go back to my dorm." She said and crossed her arms on the table and laid her head down. She yawned and closed her eyes.

This is the first time I saw this side of her. I think this is the first time she ever showed this side of her to someone. I watched her sleep and I can't help but appreciate the beauty in front of me.

She looked so peaceful. It was the face of that little girl I met before, so innocent, so warm. Her skin was white and I remember how soft it was when I was leading her here. Her eyes, if only there are feelings in them, would probably hypnotize every man in this castle. Her lips were pink and full and it looked so soft. I wonder how it would feel to kiss her.

I felt blood rushed to my cheeks. What the hell was I thinking?

Dobby appeared a moment later holding some dittany. I conjured up a pillow and lift her head up carefully to remove her arm and replaced it with a pillow. She must be so tired considering she didn't even wake. I placed dittany on her wounded arm and so the scar slowly starts to fade.

I conjured up a blanket and placed it around her. I don't want to change her position because I might wake her. I conjured up another pillow and laid my head on it facing her. I can't help but marvel at the feeling of sleeping with her as the last person I'll see.

After a few minutes of watching her with a smile, I felt sleep engulf me and I drifted off to a dream where Hermione was warm and cheerful. I think I'm….

In love with her…

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A/N: First of all, thanks for reading. and reviewing to some of you. I would just like to tell you guys that I'm a terrible uploader. Haha. You can read chapters 3 and 4 on my previous account. just search for it. or wait for me to upload. sorry. ^_^

To the reviewers: thank you so much. i'd really appreciate it if you would continue your support! :)

Saxonicity: spot on. i did write this when I was in high school. haha. i appreciate the constructive criticism. the explanation for Hermione's 'psychopathic' attitude would be on a later chapter. are you a beta reader? I really could use some help. I'm terrible with conjuctions, etc. and writing style too. PM me if you're interested. Thanks.


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